*Ruan’s Ryan Power.
RUAN HAVE completed the line-up for the TUS Clare IHC semi-finals after a fully merited win over a previously unbeaten Parteen/Meelick.
Ruan 2-16
Parteen/Meelick 1-13
Venue: Gurteen
In a most entertaining game played before a big attendance, a Robin Mounsey goal five minutes into the second half played a key part in Ruan’s victory.
The score levelled a tie for the fifth time on an evening when the teams were level on seven occasions, the last of which was at the mid point of the second half.
Ruan dominated the final quarter and they scored the last eight points of the tie while denying their opponents a score in the last seventeen minutes.
Despite the inclement weather of recent days, pitch of St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield was in excellent condition and this contributed to the excellent contest.
Shane Punch and Oisin Hickey exchanged points in the early minutes before Ruan hit three in a row before the sixth minute.
Ruan ended twenty minutes without a score when Ryan Power pointed and the same player was on hand to find he net in the first minute of added time, a score which levelled the contest for the third time.
Inter county team mates Jack Kirwan and Robin Mounsey then exchanged points to leave the score at 0-9 to 1-6 when referee John Bugler sounded the half time whistle.
The South Clare side got a dream start to the second half as Oisin Hickey pounced after hesitance in the Ruan defence to first time the ball to the net.
The score of the game came in the fifth minute of the half when Robin Mounsey beat a number of defenders before crashing an unstoppable shot to the net from a tight angle to tie up the contest yet again.
Freetakers Shane Punch and Oisin Hickey exchanged points before Parteen/Meelick opened a two point lead thanks to two further points from placed balls from Hickey.
Few in the big attendance would have predicted that Hickey’s free in the twelfth minute of the half would be his side’s final score of the tie but that is how it turned out.
Aidan Lynch and a Shane Punch free had the teams level for the final time at the turn of the final quarter. Punch fired over another brace from frees and these were followed by excellent points from Ryan Power, Michael Lyons and Jack McDonagh.
With time ticking away Jack Kirwan and Oisin Hickey tried for goals from frees but the Ruan defence dealt with each situation before Shane Punch fired over the final score in the third minute of added time.
The winners defence was particularly strong in the second half with team captain Killian Ryan, Michael Lyons and Colm Rice to the fore.
Elsewhere Ryan Power, Robin Mounsey and Ashley Brohan got through a lot of work.
Nathan Fox, Phil Lavin, Oisin Hickey, and Darragh McDermott worked hard for Parteen/Meelick but Ruan emerged as deserving winners, a result that has set up a semi-final meeting on Sunday week with their neighbours Corofin.
Ruan: Keelan Mounsey; Alan Woodford, Killian Ryan, Jason Power; Michael Lyons (0-1), Colm Rice, Darragh McInerney; Ashley Brohan, Patrick O’Halloran; Piaras Ó Sé, Ryan Power (1-3), Aidan Lynch (0-2); Jack McDonagh (0-1) Shane Punch (0-7, all frees), Robin Mounsey (1-2);
Subs; Frankie Lyons for O’Se; Patrick O’Gorman for McInerney;
Parteen/Meelick: Alan Murnane; Damian Moloney, Phil Lavin, Donal Kenny; Adam Sherlock, Nathan Fox, Tom Collins; Darragh McDermott, Daniel Cooney (0-1); Jack Kirwan (0-2), Joe O’Connor, Dara Nolan (0-2); Oisin Hickey (1-7, 0-6 frees), Martin Moroney, Sean Connolly (0-1);
Subs: Greg Daly for O’Connor; Gearoid Reddy for Collins
Referee: John Bugler (Whitegate)
